By all accounts, this weekend had been predicted by the local meteorologists to be a total washout. With that in mind, I went ahead and mowed my lawn Thursday night. It’s Sunday night now and all we’ve gotten is a sprinkling so far. So much for that.

LOST got cranked up again this week with a new episode and BOY was it a doozy! It was an action-packed one to say the least. For me it was one jaw-dropping event after another. Any of you guys LOST fans?

Since the rain held off, I finally went to battle against the holly bush hedges in front of my porch. Those beasties get a little out of hand if left alone too long. Luckily, I think it was last year I picked up an electric hedge trimmer that made the job of manicuring them less of an ordeal than with hand clippers. I got done with one set but need to turn my attention to the shrubs beside my house before I can check that off my list as “done”.

I took a short break in the afternoon before going to dinner with Megan, Livvie, Jessica and Mark. We met up at Macaroni Grill and had a delicious dinner. I tried a different wine this go around as they no longer carried the Kendall-Jackson chardonnay that I’m so fond of. Instead, they had the brand “Toasted Head” that turned out to be pretty good so I really had no complaints. After dinner, we headed to a local bowling alley for a game. That was a nice way to end the evening.

Today was Mario Kart for the Wii day! I picked up my copy after church as well as 2 extra steering wheels (for total of 3). For some reason I thought I had 3 Wii-motes. I went back and got a third when I discovered my mistake. Played that most of the afternoon. In my downtime, I watched the F1 race - they were in Spain this weekend. Ferrari is starting to look pretty strong after a bumpy start to the season. BMW is looking good too.

That wraps up the last few days… Oh, I mentioned I shot a wedding a week or so ago. Here’s one shot from that event:

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After hitting around 80 last week, temperatures over the weekend dipped back to winter levels even prompting a freeze warning a few nights. How special is that? The cold was especially bad Monday evening when I brought my camera along to snap some shots of some friends playing their first softball game of the season. Wearing my winter clothes and wearing a toboggan is just plain WEIRD for softball. Things should be returning to more normal temperatures soon though. I hope that Saturday turns out nicely as I plan to head down to the Barber Motorsports Park (just east of Birmingham) for a Honda Superbike race. I’ll keep an eye on the weather report - even though they run in the rain, I’m not a big enough fan yet to watch motorcycle racing in the rain.

On the music front, we rocked some Switchfoot on Sunday. Big crowd there - 186 folks. No mishaps (that anyone noticed) despite having a slightly bumpy warm-up. A huge thanks to Chris W for getting my drums sounding good through the PA. It’s nice having someone that knows what all the sound gear does and how to get the best out of it. You really can tell when he’s driving.

On a separate subject, Final Cut Pro is kicking my behind. Never have I had so much trouble learning how to use an application. I’ve got a feeling that most of the problems I’m encountering are tied to issues with the version of FCP I am using (5.0.4) and the Leopard operating system. I’m going to load it on a Tiger system and see if I get better results. We’ll see.

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Last Sunday was a huge day at Crosspoint. My role in the festivities was to procure my buddy Brian’s NASCAR vehicle to use as an attraction in front of the movie theater we meet in. This car travels in style - it has it’s own custom 40′ trailer. Luckily, Jason (as a CDL holder) had experience towing long trailers so it was no problem for him to get it moved around. Having the car there was a big hit! A special thanks to Brian G. for his generosity in loaning that to us.

Between babysitting the car and taking photos, that had me tied up all morning. What does it look like to do church at a movie theater in Decatur, AL?

HAVE A LOOK.

All in all, it was a great weekend despite not getting a break at all. I had a big photo session that Saturday that had me tied up for most of the day then the evening picking up and then storing the race car. This weekend looks to be a busy one also but with me still not back to 100% (I feel about 50% right now honestly) I may be taking a break whether I want to or not. All I know is that it stinks to be sick and I can’t wait to feel like myself again ASAP.

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I’m thankful that I made it through the storms early Wednesday morning unscathed. I wish I could say the same for all my friends. My dear friend Sommer lost her mother, step-dad and step-brother in the tornado that hit Lawrence Co. yesterday. She and I had just been talking about the Super Tuesday race and how the candidates were doing before calling it a night (she was in the hospital for some tests being done) and getting some rest. At 3 AM I awoke to the sounds of driving rain and tornado warning sirens. Kyle called me to be sure I was up and seeking cover in my storm shelter (I have an underground concrete bunker behind my home). I also turned my cell phone on just in case I would need it. I received a text from Sommer to take cover just as the storm passed by. We exchanged a few more messages where she let me know she was okay and the hospital was going to release her. It was sometime after that she found out about her family.

Please be in prayer for my friend and her family during this especially tough time. Thanks ya’ll.

Related media links: CNN Decatur Daily

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I hope everyone had a good time with friends, family and/or lovers to bring in the new year. I was lucky to spend the evening eating at Shogun with a few folks (you know who you are) till our belts were tight. The remainder of the evening was pretty sedate though. 2008 came in with no bang and no fanfare. It was nice actually.

I got my new year off to a good start by joining a local gym to work on my endurance. I don’t have a weight issue… I just have to get myself in overall better physical shape so I’m not huffing and puffing after some light activity like I was on the rock climbing shoot from December. Sheesh. I’m working my way up on weights and distances on the bikes and treadmills. I’m also putting a LOT of mileage on my iPod now. Prior to working out, my iPod was only used on rare occasions. Now I use it regularly.

On the photography side of things, I finally got a respectable set of studio lights. Rock on. Now I just have to spend time working and practicing with them. That’s what I spent last Sunday afternoon doing. A big thanks goes to Amber for assisting me as well as taking a few shots of the action while I was working. A big thanks also goes to Tiffany and Josh for being my guinea pigs for this occasion. I’ve got more work to go though till I get the results I’m wanting. But you know what? It’s a fun learning process that I enjoy.

Guess what I did last night?

I attended a beekeeping class over in Huntsville. I got an email from the Huntsville Botanical Garden letting me know about the series so I thought I would check it out. I was curious about the whole beekeeping process an industry and it seemed like a good way to get my feet wet. The class was packed and the topics were interesting. I’ve got no plans to start some sort of honey-based empire though. Just curious. Now I know how you get bees, how to build the hives, how to put the bees in the hive, how to trap bees… etc.

I’ll end my first post of the year with a sample shot from my Sunday experimentation.

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At a recent event I was photographing, a woman asked if I would mind taking a photo of her family. Although I was a little busy with the event itself, something about her request made me want to make time to do it for her. I first gathered them all together - the two parents and the children for a few shots then just the parents themselves. I took extra time to make sure the shots looked good despite not really being “prepared” for this kind of photo at the time. The woman hugged her kids and said bye to her husband. I thought nothing more of it at the time and went back to shooting the event. It was only later when she pulled me aside to thank me for taking the photos. She said my photos may be the last ones of her family together.

I didn’t know what to even say. Here it is the holidays - time for families to spend time together and this is happening in some people’s lives. It really does make me realize how much more thankful I should be for my family.

Sigh. I know I’m usually a little more upbeat on my blog but I just thought I’d share this in the hopes it might help someone appreciate what they have.

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Almost in the blink of an eye, my 4-day weekend is at its end. Thankfully, I actually accomplished a few things so while I got some rest, I definitely didn’t waste my time. I did manage to get out on Friday to do some shopping, but not until later in the day when I went to Staples to pick up a few of the 2-gig memory cards they had on sale for cheap. You almost can’t have too many of those especially if you shoot events or weddings. I think this is the last time I’m buying the SanDisk Ultra 2 cards though. Next time I’m getting Ultra 3’s or 4’s. What’s the difference? Besides being more expensive, they transfer data to my PC twice or triple the speed of what I’m using now. The 3’s and 4’s are still at a price premium though so I’m not really in any rush to replace what I have yet.

In my last post, I mentioned doing some cleaning and also getting rid of things I don’t need or use anymore instead of storing a bunch of stuff away thinking I might use it again in the future. I found a couple of items I hope to either sell locally or put on eBay. Here’s what I’ve got so far:

1. An Audix SCX-1 condenser mic with a cardioid capsule. This mic sells for around $500. It’s a great mic that I picked up awhile back when I was putting together the mics I would need for my drums. I’ve got all I need though and can let this one go. It’s a great instrument mic.
2. Olympus B-300 Teleconverter: Basically, you stick this lens in front of a lens you already have (its threaded) to give you 1.7X magnification, almost double what you currently use. I used it on my old Olympus 2020Z and 5050Z. I think it was around $150 when I got it.
3. Sony PSP. Yeah, I’m not really getting the use out of it that I thought I would. It’s fun, but I’ve got other things to do. I’ve got 5 games for it as well as a flip-down screen protector. I think I paid around $200 for it when it came out. Games are in the $30-50 range.
4. Deering Deluxe banjo. This is a most excellent musical instrument. If I end up keeping it, that wouldn’t be a bad thing but the reality is that I just don’t play it anymore. This would imply that I did play it at one time which is true… This banjo is special in that it was the grand prize at a national banjo competition back in 1997. The armrest on it was specially engraved for the event. Want to see sort of what it looks like? This dude retails for over $3000.
5. A Tenba D-12 camera bag. Another thing I can either keep or let go. I can use it but don’t really need to. The bag is heavily padded and has some nice features that let you access the contents through many ways without having to open the top of the bag. You flash or lenses can be accessed through large side zippers. It also has a rain cover built into it to keep your crap dry. It will hold a large camera body and a few lenses and accessories. Between my Lowepro backpack and Think Tank waist pack, I’ve got all my camera bag bases covered so this is an extra. I think this was around $130. It’s in perfect condition (like most of my stuff).

I’ll probably start doing something on eBay in the next week or so on a few of these things but if anyone that reads my blog (this means both of you) is interested in any of this stuff, leave me a comment.

Guess what? I don’t have to play drums next week! YESSSSSS… Jeremy is back on the schedule again so now he and I can share the drumming duties. This may also give us a chance to work our percussion stuff back into things as well. I’ve got congas, bongos and a djembe in addition to all sorts of small music toys. It could really add some pizazz to our sound. The downside is that I don’t normally play hand percussion and it kinda hurts to play for extended periods if you don’t play regularly. Such is life though.

Guess I’m off to bed. It’s getting late and it’s back to work tomorrow. Hope everyone has a good Monday.

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Today was a very big day for a longtime friend of mine. Everything seemed to go perfectly today for his wedding. All were in a happy mood on this beautiful fall day in Alabama. Congratulations to Kyle, Jawana and Shayla as they begin a new life together!

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Okay, I got too busy again. Thankfully I’ve been able to squeeze in a quiet evening or two to recuperate when I haven’t been out with friends. I’ve got a good circle of folks I hang out with that are easy-going and funny to boot. It’s refreshing to be able to kick back and just relax outdoors in the cool evening and make each other laugh. The other night, a bunch of us were at Maria Bonita out on the patio at a table. The sun had set and the wait staff were lighting the candles on the tables but didn’t light ours. I stopped a waitress and asked if she would light our candle and my buddy Jonathan P. immediately said “Actually, what he’s trying to say is would you light his fire?” I think the people at the next table even got a laugh out of that one.

Earlier in the week, several of us had gotten together at The Brick to commemorate 1 year since the old Brick burned. They had a great free buffet which I took advantage of. Went home early though since it was a Monday night - not a usual party evening.

Switching gears, my friend and pastor, Dave had to undergo emergency surgery last Saturday for a perforated colon. Let me tell you, after visiting him in the hospital and seeing what you have to deal with after that procedure, that is not a fun experience by any stretch of the imagination. He’s since come home now where he’s recovering. Get well soon bro.

On a lighter note, I did go and visit Dave that Saturday he was in the hospital. Dave and his wife Dana are only a couple of years older than me, not much at all. Why this is significant is because after I left, the attending nurse asked Dana if I was their son… I can only imagine the look on her face at this point, but she said “no” but followed that up with asking the nurse how old they thought I was. “Sixteen.”

Wow.

Dana has now asked that I try and look older around them. I do call her “mom” now though whenever I call over to their place.

This past weekend was a BBQ competition called Riverfest that happens here annually. It’s an event put on by the Decatur Jaycees. I went out both days to enjoy the food, music and also to take a few photos. It was a good time for sure but it made for a packed weekend. Next weekend is Big Spring Jam over in Huntsville. That’s a Friday through Sunday event. There’s bands performing every day that I want to see so I’m thinking I’ll be over there most of the weekend. I want to see: Joan Jett, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Skillet, Foreigner, Barlow Girl, Jars of Clay… that’s just a few of them. We’ll see what develops.

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I was out and about the other day trying to find a good shot clouds to use as backgrounds for other projects. I found this spot on the river where I got a chance to also include the water and one of the bridges into the city. I’m actually standing on some newly constructed boat docks which have unfortunately already been vandalized with some graffiti. We just can’t have nice things I guess. Anyway - years ago when I jet skied a lot, I and my friends have shot past those bridge supports many a time.

Ugh, kind of had a yucky week last week trying to get over some sort of funk that ruined my last weekend. After coughing myself into a frenzy after band practice Wednesday night, I made an appointment to see the doctor on Friday. I would have gone on Thursday but I had so much happening that day, it just had to be Friday. When I finally did make it, I got a shot. I’m not a big fan of injections, especially when the nurse warns you that “this particular injection stings”. She wasn’t lying. There was also some blood work to be done as a diagnostic. That’s all fine and good, but I’m even less of a fan of that. To top that off, they had trouble finding a vein. The poking around was a bit uncomfortable. Next, they tried finding a vein in the back of my hand - even more poking around. After that try I said “THAT’S ENOUGH”. We were finished at that point. My right arm looked like I’d been shooting up that morning.

Had a great weekend with friends as usual. Church went well Sunday although we had a slightly lighter crowd. I didn’t trigger my kick drum this week and just went with the usual mic inside. With the kick drum I’m using now, it sounds great anyway, I was just trying the trigger out to be used to how to set it up for when I actually DO need to use it.

Did some touch up painting around the house today on the ceilings. There were a few small spots where there were some water marks from before I had the roof replaced. In one room I had the ambitious goal to fix and then paint the popcorn ceiling. I made a large mess and the area looks like $&*# now. When it dries in 24 hours I’ll figure out what I want to try next although I’m leaning towards bringing in a professional painter (I know one) to come in and do it right.

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